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Bats About Our Town
is a non-profit volunteer group in Thurston County, Washington State,
devoted to the wonderful bat populations of our area. We lead bat
tours May-August at Capitol Lake, educate people about our local
bats, conduct bat research, and advocate for bat protection.
Our initial focus is on the more than 5,000 bats that congregate
every summer night right in downtown Olympia, spending up to six
hours feeding on insects at Capitol Lake. Many of these bats
arrive as pregnant mothers, and then continue to eat at the lake
every night while they nurse their pups.
About 3,000 Yuma and Little Brown Bat mothers commute 16 to 20
miles round trip from a maternity colony in Woodard Bay in North
Olympia.
- The Woodard Bay colony is the largest known in Washington State;
- This is the longest known commute in North America for these
tiny bats, each weighing what a nickel weighs;
- And, a nursing mother bat may make the trip twice a night.
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